1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to stringed musical instruments and more specifically to a guitar mute for controlling extraneous string noise, harmonic overring, acousto-electronic feedback and sympathetic guitar string vibrations, all without altering the fundamental tone of the strings. The invention is also applicable to mandolins, banjos, ukuleles and to other stringed instruments such as basses, violins, violas, cellos and the like.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Known string dampers are mechanical attachments usually screwed into the head stock of the guitar or other instrument and which, through a spring-locking device, engage felt or a felt-like piece of material, putting the piece of material against the string to achieve limited damping of the string. Known damping devices do not permit varying degrees of damping; with known dampers typically only one, fixed amount of damping is available.
The known devices can be adjusted after removal from the guitar or other instrument to change the amount of damping provided but cannot be adjusted while the musician is playing the instrument to change the amount of damping while the musician is playing. These prior art devices are not quickly removable, quickly movable or quickly adjustable to permit the musician to vary the effect obtained during the performance.
An example of a known mechanical damper is a product sold under the trademark "Kleen-axe." This device includes a base, which may be fixed to the head stock, and a spring-loaded arm, pivotally fixed to the base, which rides against the strings in response to bias applied by the spring. A disadvantage of the Kleen-axe device is that when the device is applied to the strings to damp them during a performance, an unacceptable thudding sound is created, especially when using an amplified guitar, when the device is applied to the strings. Moreover, because of the metal construction of the Kleen-axe, additional harmonics are produced when the device is in place on the guitar. Yet another disadvantage of the Kleen-axe is that in order to activate and/or deactivate the device during a performance, the musician (or his assistant) must use two hands to position the Kleen-axe appropriately against the strings or to remove it from contact with the strings. This two-handed operation is disruptive to the musician's performance. As yet another disadvantage, the Kleen-axe requires adhesive to secure the device to the guitar; when the device is removed an ugly scar or adhesive mark remains.
Other known guitar mutes requires screw mounting with the screws being driven into the head stock or the body of the guitar. This is clearly undesirable.
Another prior art damper is a textile, yarn-like device provided as a stock accessory to the well-known "Chapman Stick" instrument. This damping device consists of fine denir yarns secured together with a backer and placed between the strings of the guitar and the fretboard, below the first fret. This device does not mute; it provides damping but the damping is not variable. The device does reduce extraneous string noise.
Of printed prior art known to applicant, U.S. Pat. No. 1,518,935 discloses a violin mute which fits under the strings of the violin, between the strings and the fingerboard at the body end of the neck. The U.S. Pat. No. 1,518,935 apparatus changes the fundamental tone of the violin when applied, because the apparatus fits between the two hands of the player, with one hand performing bowing and the other hand varying length of the strings, which changes pitch produced by a given string. This effect is acknowledged in the U.S. Pat. No. 1,518,935 specification, in the neighborhood of line 80, where the patentee notes that overtones may be eliminated at will using the U.S. Pat. No. 1,518,935 apparatus, thereby permitting the musician to obtain almost any desired tone from his violin.
Other printed prior art known to applicant includes U.S. Pat. No. 7,279 which discloses a guitar capo, which is a tuning adjustment device. The U.S. Pat. No. 7,279 apparatus effectively shortens all strings by the same amount. The U.S. Pat. No. 7,279 apparatus may be placed over the nut of the guitar, in a position of zero fret, thereby insuring that any loosening of the tuning screws does not result in a change of pitch of the guitar strings.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,647,930 discloses a capo device which adjusts to fit the curvature of the neck of a guitar. Other than recognition of the desirability of accommodating the curvature of the neck, U.S. Pat. No. 3,647,930 has no relevance to the invention disclosed herein.
A significant and recurring problem is the inability of existing synthesizer systems to quickly track ("track" meaning to follow or to reproduce) the digital representation of an audio signal produced by a guitar, where the digital representation of the audio signal is input to the synthesizer.
Today, music synthesizers are in widespread use. Typically, musicians use guitars to drive synthesizers with analog-to-digital conversion being required to convert the guitar tone signals from their analog form to digital form for input to an appropriate synthesizer which in turn generates the desired output signals, for example tones corresponding to a trumpet, flute or some other instrument. A continuing problem in using guitars to drive synthesizers is the inability of known analog-to-digital converters to acceptably process the typical multi-colored or multi-hued tone produced by a guitar, due to the inherent characteristic whereby a guitar produces not only fundamental tones but also many harmonics associated with given fundamentals. Further creating difficulty for the analog-to-digital conversion circuitry, when a guitar is used as the driver to produce the analog signal, is the fact that guitars, due to their characteristic construction whereby six strings are adjacent one to another, necessarily produce sympathetic vibration of adjacent strings when one string is plucked. Heretofore, such sympathetic vibration and consequent difficulties for the analog-to-digital converter circuitry could not be avoided when using a guitar as the driver for a music synthesizer. The same problem occurs when any stringed instrument is used to drive a music synthesizer--sympathetic vibrations are inherent.